10.1.17
Saying Yes and Saying No
This week we are continuing our journey through Exodus and Matthew: Exodus 17:1-7 and Matthew 21:23-32.
In Exodus we once again find the Israelites complaining about what they do not have— water. The quote “Is the Lord among us or not?” is the main question of the text. There are many times in life when we ask the same question.
The people of Israel are in the wilderness and they are thirsty. Last week they were hungry. It is difficult and it is hard to be in the wilderness. It is unfamiliar. They are always moving. It does not feel like home. So they begin to remember when it did feel like home and complain, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?”
Ahh, remember the good old days when we had a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs? Forget about the fact we were slaves and mistreated and had to do backbreaking work. Some of us were even killed on the whim of a supervisor.
The people of Israel have short memories. They have experienced the blessings of God first hand (quail and manna). They have evidence. But what they want is personal satisfaction. They and we say: I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, I’m lonely, and I’m hurt! What will you do about it God?
Do you have these same feelings in your life? Do you have these same feelings about your church? What is God going to do about it? What is someone else (the pastor, the Session, another member) going to do about it? Moses says, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” Then Moses prays to God, “What shall I do?” God tells him go to a rock and strike it with his staff and water will come out of it. And Moses does that!
Discerning God’s will and doing it is a description of the life of faith. It is not about waiting for someone else to do it. There is a story about Rabbi Zusya who said just before his death, "In the world to come I shall not be asked, ‘Why were you not Moses?’ I shall be asked, ‘Why were you not Zusya?’” God calls each of us to realize our potential. We are called to live out who God created us to be. As you listen and respond to this call, you may find the impact you are having on others is much greater than ever imagined. This is true not only for us as individuals but also as faith communities. As faith communities, churches sometimes end up focusing more on maintenance than mission. We are to be the faith community God calls us to be and love the world one person at a time.
We move from Exodus to Matthew and the focus is the parable about two sons; one who says yes and another who says no. We see that regardless of what initially prevented the second son from saying yes, he eventually accepted his father’s invitation to go to work. At its core, this parable is the pattern of our life with God. No matter what we’ve done, or what may have initially prevented us, God is always extending an invitation to us. We are constantly being drawn into a new place to new depths of Faith and Divine discovery. Life with God is always forward looking. We learn from, celebrate, and recognize the gifts of the past and the present, but we look forward.
Think about it – Pray about it – Live it
Bob